Nightmares
by 12anonymous33
Summary: After Link stops Demise and saves Skyloft, he and Zelda are still having doubts about their future.
1. Chapter 1

It was nighttime in the floating land of Skyloft, and the stars shone brightly, illuminating the silhouettes of the night patrol knights occasionally. Everything was still and calm.

In the Knight Academy, Link, the recent hero of Skyloft, was sitting on his bed in his dimly lit room. Sleep had not come to the young elf as of yet, for he was deep in thought.

Link sighed as he thought about his great adventure with Zelda. Even though said adventure had ended days ago, the man felt like it would take a long time for things to return to normal, if that was even possible.

Link looked out the dark window into the night sky. The stars were bright and a breeze rustled the trees. The Hylian decided to think about how much everything had changed later. He needed to rest, especially after his recent ordeal with Demise.

The young Hylian sighed again as he dropped his shield and other gear on the floor. Stripping off some of his heavier clothing, Link nestled underneath the covers of his warm bed. It seemed like forever since he had gotten a good night's sleep.

However, before the young man could close his eyes, he heard a soft knocking at his door. Link sat up in his bed. Who could it be at this time of night?

The Hylian paced towards the door. Cautiously, he opened the door a crack, but opened it all the way when he saw who was standing in the moonlit hallway.

"Zelda?"

The golden-haired girl was standing outside of the room, wearing a white nightgown. But what caught Link's attention was the fact that her hair was messy, and her eyes were bloodshot and overflowing with tears.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you, Link," the goddess reborn said shakily, trying to fake a smile. "May I come in?"

Link immediately nodded and pulled her inside gently. He understood how stressed she was. Ever since they returned to Skyloft, Zelda was torn between guarding the Triforce on the Surface and living a normal life with her friends and family.

The hero led his best friend to his bed and let her sit down. He crouched down in front of her and took her hands.

"What's wrong, Zelda?" he whispered.

The young woman had her head down with her hair covering her face. Link tried to brush away her golden hair to see her face.

"Oh, Link," Zelda moaned, rubbing her eyes with one hand, "I just don't know what to do anymore! I keep having dreams and nightmares, and horrible memories that aren't even mine. I want to stay here, but I want to live on the Surface! I...I..."

At this, the girl threw herself onto Link's bed and began to sob. The male Hylian was shocked, and didn't know what to do. Without thinking, he got in the bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't cry, Zelda," Link said as she buried her face into his chest and whimpered. "Everything will be OK. You're safe. Nothing's going to hurt you here."

Zelda's sniffling became less frequent after a few minutes and she breathed steadily. Link glanced down and saw that she was fast asleep and cuddled up against him. The young man blushed. He had never been in this kind of situation before.

However, Link realized that he had loved Zelda for a long time. She was kind, smart, beautiful, and he would go to the very ends of the earth for her. It didn't matter that she was the goddess Hylia. She was still his Zelda.

The young man smiled as he thought this. He nuzzled Zelda's hair and whispered to her softly.

"I love you."


	2. Chapter 2

_Link's eyes slowly blinked open. He groaned as he tried to move. Why did his body hurt so much? Suddenly, the elf realized that something was wrong and he jolted awake._

_The man found himself slumped against a corner of a dark and dank room. Only a few rays of sun reached in through tiny cracks in the walls. Many questions were on a collision course in his head. Where was he? Who or what had taken him here? And most importantly, where was Zelda?_

_Link suddenly became aware that there was something lying against him. He reached his hand down and felt smooth hair and battered skin. The young elf almost didn't want to look. Slowly and deliberately, he looked down at his lap._

_What he saw lying there made him go pale. Zelda was bruised, bleeding, and very still. Her hair was messy and matted. Link panicked and began shaking her frantically._

_"Zelda! Zelda? Are you OK? Please answer me!"_

_Link pulled Zelda close to keep her warm and listened for any signs of life. He let out a huge sigh of relief when he heard her shallow breathing. However, he knew that they had to find help, and fast._

_"Don't worry," Link said to his barely conscious friend. "We're getting out of here." He took Zelda in his arms and tried to get off the ground._

_Suddenly, Link felt a searing pain in his legs. He groaned in pain as his legs buckled and he fell on the ground again._

_Making sure that Zelda was secure in his grasp, Link examined his legs. To his horror, they were cut up, bruised, and in no condition to be going anywhere. How did this happen to them?_

_Before Link could think of what to do, he heard footsteps approaching. He looked up, hopeful. Had someone come to help them?_

_"Well, well, well. If it isn't my adorable friend, Link."_

_That chuckling voice dashed Link's hopes into fine dust. His eyes widened with fear as a tall, pale figure wearing a red cape appeared in the gloom._

_"G...G...Ghirahim..."_

_Said demon lord smiled and flipped his hair. "It's just wonderful to see you both after such a long time! So tell me, what's new?"_

_Link growled and pulled Zelda closer to his body. He hated how sarcastic the demon lord was._

_"What do you want? I thought I killed you."_

_Ghirahim shook his head and tutted. "No, you naive boy. You destroyed my former master, Demise. I simply made a grand exit right before he perished!"_

_Link's eyes narrowed dangerously, but Ghirahim continued._

_"One would think that a demon lord like myself would finally turn away from darkness and live a free life, but not yet." At this, the demon's eyes turned murderous and his smile became a wicked grin._

_"First, I need to tie up some lose ends."_

_The young Hylian's body shook with anger and fear as Ghirahim materialized a sword in his hand. Link shouted when he took a few steps closer._

_"Don't come any closer!" he snarled, "I won't let you hurt Zelda!" But then, he realized that he had no sword or shield. This was it for Link and his true love._

_Ghirahim laughed maniacally and lunged with his sword. Link let out a yelp, shut his eyes, and squeezed Zelda close to him._

"Link! Hey, Link! Wake up! I said, wake up, Link!"

The hero awoke with a gasp. His blue eyes looked around frantically for any signs of danger. He found none. Instead, Link was relieved to see that he was still safe in his room with Zelda.

Zelda. Link suddenly remembered how she had been in his dream and glanced down at the girl beside him. Fortunately, Zelda appeared to be alright compared to the previous night, but her eyes were wide with shock and worry. This may have been due in part to the fact that his arms were crushing her in a vice-like grip.

Link gasped and ripped himself away from his crush. He leapt off the bed and turned away from her, rubbing his face and forehead. His breathing became raspy and tears pricked at his eyes as he remembered the horrible dream.

The man stopped, though, when he felt two slender arms wrapping around his larger abdomen. He felt someone rest their head on his back. Link took the person's hands an realized it was Zelda hugging him from behind.

"Are you alright, Link?" he could hear the concern and worry in her sweet voice. "You were trembling and sweating in bed."

The hero turned around to face the goddess. She seemed a lot more calm than she had been a few hours ago. He smiled at that as he hugged her back.

"I'm OK," he muttered, burying his nose in Zelda's hair. "It was just a nightmare."

The blond girl look up at him and smiled. That smile always made Link's heart meet its melting point. Link smiled back. But suddenly, Zelda's face became sad.

"Link, you're crying!"

The young man realized this as Zelda wiped away his tears. "I told you, I'm fine," he whispered, not wanting her to hear his shaky voice. But then, the tears came flooding out. Zelda gasped. She had never seen Link cry like this.

Link hugged Zelda tightly and began to cry into her now messy hair. Zelda didn't mind, even though she was pressed against his chest. She wanted to comfort her good friend.

"I...I'm...please! Promise you'll never leave again!" The poor Hylian sobbed, "I...c..couldn't take it...w...w...without you!"

Zelda reached up and cupped his wet face with her hand. Link looked down at her, expecting her to say something to try and comfort him.

She kissed him instead

The hero was startled at first, but then closed his eyes. The kiss was soft, warm, and held hidden passion. Link moaned and deepened the kiss. He never wanted this moment to end.

A few minutes later, Zelda broke the blissful kiss and stepped back. She was glad to see that there was a smile on Link's handsome face instead of anguish. However, she began blushing furiously and looked down at her feet.

"Listen, Link," the goddess began, "I heard what you said last night before you went to sleep. And I just wanted to say that...that...I feel the same way!"

Link's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't think that she would ever love him back. But now, it didn't matter. He was completely content as he rushed forward to kiss Zelda again.

Unfortunately, the force of the impact sent them falling onto the bed. The poor Zelda was crushed underneath the weight of the larger Link, who quickly rolled off to the side, blushing.

They both were able to catch their breaths and turn their heads towards each other. A few seconds after their eyes locked, they began giggling uncontrollably. Link nor Zelda knew what was so funny, but they didn't care. They loved each other's company.

As Zelda covered her mouth to stifle the giggling fit, Link wrapped his arms around her again and held her tightly. The girl opened her eyes and saw her love smiling brightly at her. She had never seen a smile like that on his boyish face since before their lives had changed dramatically.

Link chuckled and kissed her forehead.

"Thank you, Zelda. I love you so much."

The Hylian girl sighed and snuggled closer to Link.

"I want to thank you too, Link. For everything you've done for me," she said as sleep began to take over again. It was actually very early in the morning at the moment, before sunrise. Zelda yawned and closed her eyes.

Link looked down at his newfound lover and smiled softly. Holding her close, he brought the blankets over both if them and laid his head above hers. Zelda, using Link's chest as a pillow, was already drifting to sleep.

The hero began humming the Ballad of the Goddess to Zelda like a lullaby. He knew that it was her favorite tune. As long as they were together, he would sing it to her whenever she wanted.

Neither of then had ever been so happy in their entire lives.


End file.
